Pages tagged Palestine

For decades, the United States has simultaneously protested Israel’s occupation of Palestine in rhetoric, while actively shielding Israel from real accountability for that illegal occupation. This approach has allowed Israel to act with impunity, expanding settlements throughout the Palestinian territories, in direct violation of international law, and systematically violating a wide-range of basic Palestinian human rights. Since the start of the so-called “peace process”, Israel’s illegal settler population in the occupied territories has grown by more than 400%, destroying the viability of Palestinian independence and self-determination.

If you put on a hat for a few hours, you may forget it’s even there. And if you get used to the idea that Palestine is occupied, you may get used to the idea that this is the normal state of affairs. This week, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories turns 50 years old, the longest in modern history, and it’s anything but normal. A closer look at the brutality and injustice of this occupation is crucial to remind ourselves of how unsustainable the status quo is.I remember about...

This week marks 50 years of military occupation, the longest in modern history, for the people of Palestine. Although there are more than 12 million Palestinians around the world today, 66% of them are considered forcibly displaced persons and only about half live in what was historical Palestine. It’s a reminder that even during the refugee crisis we are witnessing today, Palestinians continue to be the largest displaced population in the world.

Arab American Institute Statement Marking 50 years of Israeli Occupation of Palestine

June 5, 2017

This week marks 50 years of military occupation, the longest in modern history, for the people of Palestine. Although there are more than 12 million Palestinians around the world today, 66% of them are considered forcibly displaced persons and only about half live in what was historical Palestine. It’s a reminder that even during the refugee...

Arab American Institute Statement Marking 50 years of Israeli Occupation of Palestine

June 5, 2017

This week marks 50 years of military occupation, the longest in modern history, for the people of Palestine. Although there are more than 12 million Palestinians around the world today, 66% of them are considered forcibly displaced persons and only about half live in what was historical Palestine. It’s a reminder that even during the refugee crisis we are witnessing today, Palestinians continue to be the largest displaced population in the world.

This year, many articles have surfaced recognizing the signs and posters activists carry at various protests across the country. The March for Science saw a spectrum of poster art: kid-crafted colored pencil masterpieces of dinosaurs, trees, and rocket ships; signs with science puns such as “up and atom” and more serious calls for action such as “the oceans are rising and so are we”; and a more layman declaration of “no science, no beer.” As protests span mission and medium, posters often serve as symbols of resistance. With the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation approaching on June...

During a panel discussion last week that was part of AAI’s “Arab American Leadership Days” programming, Dima Khalidi – the founder and Director of Palestine Legal – discussed the ways in which advocates for Palestine have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, and various forms of legal pushback in the United States. Khalidi explained that between 2014 and 2016, Palestine Legal “responded to 650 instances of repression of Palestine advocacy.” Some of these included professors who were fired and denied tenure for speaking out on Palestine, and...

Join us at this year’s Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Awards, as we honor and celebrate the work of the remarkable Palestinian artist, Kamal Boullata. We are especially proud to have Kamal with us because we know that 2017 marks 100 years since the Balfour Declaration, an agreement by foreign powers that resulted in the eventual dispossession of indigenous Palestinians. It is also the 70th anniversary of the partition of Palestine. And in just a few short months, it will be 50 years since the...

by James J. Zogby March 30, 1976 was a transformative moment in Palestinian history. On that day, Palestinian citizens of Israel organized and implemented a nation-wide strike to protest the Israeli government's plans to confiscate thousands of acres of Palestinian-owned land in the Galilee region. The confiscations were designed to provide for the expansion of the Jewish population in the Galilee—since Israeli leaders were concerned that the composition of the region had remained overwhelmingly Arab. Confiscations were nothing new. In the three decades between the founding of their state in 1948 and 1976, Israel had seized 1,500,000...

by James J. Zogby It was 40 years ago that I co-founded the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (PHRC) and wrote "Palestinians, the Invisible Victims". I was concerned that in the American mind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had been reduced to a simple equation: Israeli humanity versus the Palestinian problem. When most Americans thought of the conflict they were able imagine Israelis as people just like us. They were parents who loved their families. They wanted what we wanted—peace, prosperity, and a chance to watch their children grow and realize their dreams. They had names and faces. They experienced...